Confusion sometimes revolves around the distinctions between overdrives, distortions and fuzzes, but in theory each should do approximately what it says on the box—even if some also do a little of the other breeds’ jobs along the way. In the case of overdrive pedals, the intention is often twofold: either to provide a gain boost to “overdrive” a tube amp into distortion, or to approximate the mildly distorted sound of a slightly overdriven tube amp. In practice, most do a little of both. Crank the average overdrive toward the max and it usually coughs up an element of self-generated distortion, which can easily be heard when DI’d into a mixing desk set to well below overload levels; generate enough distortion, and things can also sound a little fuzzy. Despite the gray areas, however, there are definitely distinctions between the types. It all makes some sense if you think in terms of the degree of clipping achieved by the pedal, with overdrives generally being soft-clipping devices and distortions being hard-clipping devices.

This is the classic effect that many people first buy and overuse. Chorus works by inaudibly delaying each note to thicken and sweeten your original sound. If set too high it can make your sound overly ‘sugary’ so use it sparingly with electric or acoustic and it will provide some sparkle over a song section. With chorus’s you get what you pay for so the overall sound quality of a £25 unit might become irritating in the long run.
The amp has the usual basic controls: Volume, Bass, and Treble, plus a Gain knob that adjusts the amount of distortion. Once you start turning some of the Champion 20’s other knobs, all sorts of additional tonal possibilities arise. The Voice knob accesses simulations of different amps: Tweed (1950s-era Fender amps heard on early R&B records such as “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” and “In the Midnight Hour”), Blackface (mid-1960s Fenders, often used by Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan), British (reminiscent of the classic Vox amps used by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and U2), and Metal (somewhat like the sound of the Marshall amplifiers favored by rock and metal players from Jimi Hendrix to Slash). Each of these four simulations has three different variations that alter the tone a bit.
I've got a vox white shadow too though its a crimson/red colour with 2 chrome plated humbuckers, it has one volume pot, two tone pots, 1 toggle switch aswell as 2 further switches to change between pick-ups. It has stamped on the back neck plate "made in japan" I can't seem to locate the serial number though. Would love to know more about this guitar.
Here’s one more metal marauder that is worth mentioning. Schecter Hellraiser C-1 comes packing a lot of output and a tone that handles all kinds of distortions naturally. We are talking mahogany body combined with a set of EMG 81/89s, which should be enough to spark your imagination. Plugged into a Messa/Boogie Dual Recto’s red channel, this puppy simple felt at home
First, you have so many different types music – flamenco, jazz, country, blues, classical, rock and pop, to name just a few. Then you have musicians performing at different levels – there are the beginners who’ve never held a guitar before, there are experienced guitarists playing in bands, then there are professional guitarists, who make a career out of playing the guitar.
Phase Shifter pedals found their way into the guitar community in the 70’s with pedals like the MXR Phase 90, Mutron Phase Shifter, EH Small Stone, Foxx and others. The sweeping sound it produces is unmistakable and a legendary trademark of many guitarists sound. The MXR Phase 90 can be heard all over Van Halen 1 and II. Brian May used the Foxx phase on “Sheer Heart Attack,” The Eagles “Life In The Fast Lane”, and Led Zeppelin’s “The Rover” to name but a few.
Blueridge makes some excellent acoustic guitars, many of them based on historic designs. So, what does that mean? Many players feel that acoustics made in the early days after the dreadnought design had been created used better construction methods, qualities and materials compared to guitars produced today. In their historic designs, Blueridge attempts to capture some of that magic.
If you think you might build more than one of a pedal, it’s helpful to keep a list of your preferred parts and their specifications in a spreadsheet. In manufacturing this is called a BOM (Bill of Materials). Some online stores will let you import a BOM direct into their web store and will build a purchase order for you based on the information. It’s a big time saver each time you need to order parts, and lets you compare different vendors stocks easily.
Deco Tape Saturation & Doubletracker is a unique effects pedal that allows for a wide variety of tonal possibilities. You can place Deco near the beginning of your signal chain and use the Tape Saturation as a light overdrive. Or, you can place Deco at the end of your chain, use lower Tape Saturation settings, and provide your entire signal with the tape-like warmth, compression, and added low end harmonics.

The best way to have a great experience building your first guitar is to do it as a member of as class under the direction of a master Luthier. I built my first Tele-style guitar at Tulsa Wood Arts taught by Seth Lee Jones. You can learn a lot of the tricks and avoid some of the frustrations of doing it on your own. Plus, you make new friends and come away with a beautiful, quality guitar your first time out!

Once the old selector is removed, screw the new selector in place. Follow your wiring notes from the old pickup selector, strip the wires with a pair of wire strippers, and solder the wires to the correct lugs. After everything is soldered in place, reattached the cavity cover or pickguard. For more information about how to solder wiring, see the soldering page.

Sparkle works best in the background and will be more suited to non-guitar players that want quality sounding guitar rhythms, but not have them be the focus or overly complicated. Most guitarists will find it too rigid and write it off, where non-guitarist will want to spend a decent amount of time mastering the expression options. The GUI is geared to key players, but it’s simply fantastic looking, clean, and easy to use even if you can’t play keys that well.

In 1978, Michel Chavarria, guitarist, singer and songwriter for French band Madrigal, decided to create a guitar shop with his friend Daniel Delfour. The shop was on a street called "rue de Laganne," which inspired the name Lâg. Like in many other cases, the small business started as a repair, setting and customization shop before creating its own models. Due to the quality of their instruments, they sell custom-made guitars to French and international musicians like Jean-Jacques Goldman, Phil Campbell (Motörhead) and Keziah Jones. Among the best-known models we have the Arkane (a Super-Strat available with different pickup combinations) and the Roxane (with Gibson-like humbuckers).

The music industry is one that has really felt the effects of the digitalization of the world over the last few decades. In the 1970s and '80s, recording, composing and production work would have been done manually with a complicated series of hardware mixers, synths, sequencers and other devices. Today, all you have to do is plug into a computer running the music software that's relevant to the task. These programs and tools don't only make it possible for you to work faster; you can also get started sooner, since a large selection of software packages are available to download directly. You won't need to wait for shipping: just download and start working.

My granddaughter really liked this book. I know it was used but the CD and the wall chart were missing. I wish that would have been noted in the comments. Some of the other book sellers noted that one or the other of these were missing so I didn't order from them. Nothing was noted in the comments on this. My granddaughter was happy with the book and wanted to keep it.

Make sure you have a sharp pair of wire cutters and a pair of those pointy nose pliers for bending and cutting component leads. Don’t forget solder too. There are a whole bunch of solder specifications covering materials, size, process etc. You’ll need rosin core solder. It comes in different thicknesses. 0.031” diameter is a common size, and will work for most pedal projects. Solder is normally sold in reels by weight. A 1/4lb reel will be enough to last a good few pedal projects. Lastly, get lead free, no clean solder. Although not strictly necessary for personal projects, lead-free solder is common now and safer. No clean, means that you can leave the flux residue behind without having to clean it off, and it won’t damage your board.

Each brand has its own distinctions, benefits, drawbacks, and niche which it appeals to. Most guitar players are loyal to one particular brand for one reason or another. Even the style and image associated with the instrument comes into play heavily, here. For example, consider the image cultivated by Jimi Hendrix and his Fender Stratocaster. Not only did he expand the realm of tones that everyone thought the guitar was capable of, he made this particular model his own. It’s an iconic guitar that will always be associated with Hendrix and the blues.
A low latency audio card will allow to run your guitar signal (via an adapter cable or a mixer) into the PC and through the Amp Sims, (the M-Audio 2469 is a good card for this and reasonably priced), this will allow you to drive/crank the simulators as loud as you'd like to get the tone you want; and control the overall volume with your PC, good speakers/monitors are a must for this.
The first edition of the Telecaster Custom was produced between 1959-1968, and featured a double-bound body. While the guitar was known as the Telecaster Custom, the decal on the headstock read “Custom Telecaster”. Later editions of the Tele Custom were popularized by Rolling Stones‘ guitarist and composer Keith Richards, featuring a Fender Wide Range humbucker in the neck position and a single-coil pickup in the bridge. The market generally refers to the guitar as the “1972 Custom”, indicating the year this model was originally released.
A note on acoustic guitar pickups (piezo, in particular): Making crazy 10 dB cuts? Contemplating making some absurd boost? You're probably not wrong – the acoustic pickup world can be the Wild West when it comes to tone. Some are great, and some are downright questionable. There are too many variables to even begin suggesting frequencies, so use your ears to guide you home on this one.
Distortion, overdrive, and fuzz can be produced by effects pedals, rackmounts, pre-amplifiers, power amplifiers (a potentially speaker-blowing approach), speakers and (since the 2000s) by digital amplifier modeling devices and audio software.[1][2] These effects are used with electric guitars, electric basses (fuzz bass), electronic keyboards, and more rarely as a special effect with vocals. While distortion is often created intentionally as a musical effect, musicians and sound engineers sometimes take steps to avoid distortion, particularly when using PA systems to amplify vocals or when playing back prerecorded music.

Dick Dale is a prominent Stratocaster player, who also collaborated with Leo Fender in developing the Fender Showman amplifier. In the early 1960s, the instrument was also championed by Hank Marvin–guitarist for the Shadows, a band that originally backed Cliff Richard and then produced instrumentals of its own. So distinctive was Hank Marvin’s sound that many musicians, including the Beatles, initially deliberately avoided the Stratocaster.[citation needed] However, in 1965, George Harrison and John Lennon acquired Stratocasters and used them for Help!, Rubber Soul and later recording sessions; the double unison guitar solo on “Nowhere Man” is played by Harrison and Lennon on their new Stratocasters.[10][11][12][13]

Students and expert alike describe this guitar as a fun instrument, and goes further by commenting that it has exceeded their expectations. From its fast action playability to the quality of the finish, the Epiphone SGSpecial continues to rake in compliments. Several people even said that it comes surprisingly close to the feel and sound of a Gibson SG.
Although most of this article deals with miking regular guitar amps or using various DI options, there are also some great sounds to be had using very low-power guitar amps — even battery-powered ones. You can see these in music shops, often designed to look like miniature versions of Marshall, Fender or other top-name amplifiers. While some sound pretty grim, others sound surprisingly musical and raunchy. Obviously they don't have a lot of low end, but if you mic them closely to exploit whatever proximity effect your cardioid mic has to offer, and use EQ cut to tame the inevitable mid-range resonance, you can get some really great sounds. Best of all is that these things are cheap, so you can afford to experiment, and they also come in useful for their intended purpose, which is practising, something we all tend to do too little of when we get caught up in recording technology.
The way you fix this is by finding a book that makes you reconsider an aspect of your playing, regardless of what that is. If you’re into metal go ahead and pick up a book on Gypsy jazz. If you’re a dedicated Bluegrass flatpicker try your hand at learning some jazz. If you learn one thing from a different genre that you can routinely apply to your genre of choice you can break yourself out of just about any rut imaginable.
Two-handed tapping was the hoariest of heavy-metal clichés until Marnie Stern reclaimed the concept on behalf of indie-prog bedroom shredders everywhere. No one would ever confuse Stern’s chops with Eddie Van Halen’s, but that’s kind of the point: If Stern’s shredding exudes the agreeably skewed internal logic of the self-taught, it also allows her to utilize the two-handed technique far more creatively than the pseudo-classical chest-puffing that usually comes with Dokken territory.

This is definitely the coolest music store in the Pacific Northwest. If you are a high end guitar lover, you need to go. If you are a pedal nerd, you NEED to go. James, the owner, has relationships built with the coolest vendors in the country, and manages to collect the coolest gear. Earthquaker Devices makes a custom line of pedals just for this store, for christ's sake. I've never seen so many pedals in my life, and that's really neat because not many stores focus on that. The staff makes you feel right at home. They are so knowledgable and pleasant to be around. No highbrow guitar store attitude to be found here. So all in all, you need to go check it out. It's a super fun place to play some quality instruments. Plus, their logo is a monkey in a cowboy hat, named "Monk Williams". I'm not sure how it could get any better than that.

This is a solid body bass guitar that has a full deep sound. There is not much middle to it which makes it less defined than a lot of basses but it does suit some music very well. There is a choice of sample sets to choose from in this soundfont. Direct or through my j-station (which makes it sound more like its through an amp), or a mix of the two. The j-station samples are the same direct samples routed out and through the j-station and back in again, which is why it is possible to have a mix of the two. The J-Station samples make a distorted beefy bass sound which can be useful for some music i.e. 3 piece bands where tha bass fills out instead of a rhythm guitar or just for a more lo-fi bass sound. The direct samples are not so distorted and can be used in alot more styles of music. There is a preset that includes slaps and slides etc to help add some realism.

Continuing the example of making comparisons of specifications, there are Guilds in this price range that come with all solid woods, a rosewood fretboard, and with built-in tuners. Also, Epiphone Masterbuilt has solid wood acoustics, even some with cedar tops which are highly sought after by finger style players, plus they have a rosewood fretboard, a built-in tuner, two pickups and deluxe tuning machines. Moreover, both of the above guitars sell for less than the Taylor 200 series model you listed. So which is better?
Potentiometers (Pots) for audio are used to adjust tone and volume. Pots are resistors with three terminals and a sliding contact (the wiper) that creates an adjustable voltage divider. If only two terminals are used (one side and the wiper), it acts as a variable resistor or rheostat. Potentiometers are most commonly used as control devices, such as volume control on audio equipment. A potentiometer for Audio applications would feature very low to no introduced noise.

The color black is powerful, mysterious and evokes a sense of potential and possibility. It’s widely regarded as the single most popular color for Rock ‘n’ Roll thanks to rock pioneers such as KISS and AC/DC. Get back in black with these fine offerings from Dean with our vivid take on the classic black electric guitar with a few other shades thrown in for good measure. Plug in and play. Get your wings!

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as "arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music". Born in Seattle, Washington, Hendrix began playing guitar at the age of 15. In 1961, he enlisted in the US Army; he was granted an honorable discharge the following year. Soon afterward, he moved to Clarksville, Tennessee, and began playing gigs on the chitlin' circuit, ...more on Wikipedia
The gray area between different types of phasers and chorus pedals—and phaser-style chorus pedals versus delay-based chorus pedals—arises probably because designers and manufacturers really have followed two distinct paths in this field. Some phasers have sought to approximate the Uni-Vibe’s approximation of a Leslie cab, and some so-called choruses have done much the same. Other phasers have been designed from the ground up more purely from the perspective of the principles of phase shifting in itself, rather than in an effort to sound like a whirling speaker or any other electromechanical device that has come before. The result means the field is broad and varied, and different phasers (or their related effects) can often have different voices with characteristics more distinct than, say, two delays from different makers.
This processor is pretty good quality, unfortunately not too many parameters on the effects and you can only use one effect at a time, and some prefixed combo of 2 effects (if i remember correctly 10 different options). If you need it for reverb, or slight delay, tremolo or acoustic simulator its pretty cool, not able to add exact tempo on delay or tremolo though. Sound quality is very good, 24 bit A/D and D/A so no loss there either, and you also have stereo (same effect options on both though) and balanced and unbalanced outputs (if you use unbalanced the signal goes to both outputs so you also have the balanced output if needed). For the money is definitely the best option, imagine that a reverb pedal cost the same money (just reverb)...so if you have a controller it will fit on your gear. I am using it with ... full review
I have $100 guitars that play and sound great. I have $15,000 guitars that play and sound great. That said, a great middle of the road guitar that won't break the bank is an Epiphone Masterbilt. I find them to sound remarkable AND play great, ESPECIALLY for the money. I like buying guitars used and save about half from the retailers. A good used Masterbilt will cost about $300 on Ebay or Craigslist.
The world of audio effects is one that can be confusing even for experienced engineers. Especially in modern computer-based recording systems, there's a bewildering array of options, and to add to the confusion, some effects are widely referred to by more than one name. In this article, I'll take you through the most common effects, explaining how they work and where you might want to use them in your music. Meanwhile, SOS 's team of writers has contributed a wealth of expert tips and tricks, which you can find in the boxes scattered through this article.
Because of this, the VI opens the door for critique at the smallest degree, but I couldn’t even get that far before finding problems. The strumming is so terribly robotic out of the box, and the sounds divided among the four guitars (Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster, and “bright” and “normal” versions of a Duesenberg StarPlayer) aren’t screaming authenticism either.
While you don’t have to mortgage your home to buy a good guitar, price will still be a key factor in deciding which guitar to purchase. When buying for a beginner—especially younger players—you may be hesitant to spend too much without knowing if the recipient will stick with the guitar. That’s perfectly reasonable. There are guitars to fit just about every budget. Just keep in mind that the better the guitar the new player starts with, the more likely they will be to continue learning and playing. An instrument that’s hard to play or won’t stay in tune will deter even the most enthusiastic beginner.
Non Locking Tremolo TRÉMOLO FAT/SAT INSTALACIÓN DE LA PALANCA DEL TRÉMOLO La palanca del trémolo se puede poner y quitar muy fácilmente. Introduzca la palanca en el orificio de la placa base del trémolo. Tire hacia arriba de la palanca para extraerla. AJUSTE DE LA PALANCA DEL TRÉMOLO (SAT PRO) Para ajustar la altura de la palanca, retire la tapa de los muelles del trémolo en la parte posterior de la guitarra y, con una llave Allen de 3 mm, gire el tornillo de...
No guitarist should ever be without a trusty amplifier to plug in and rock out. Without the invention and evolution of the amplifier, the world of popular music would be a very different place. Lucky for all of us, todays amplifiers are louder and more raucous than ever, filled with effects and features that will take you on a musical journey that you'll never forget. Some of our top brands in this category include: Fender, Acoustic, Bogner Marshall, Vox, Orange, and much more.
As for necks, the majority of guitars will have either a maple or mahogany neck, with a rosewood, maple or ebony fretboard. Again, there’s no right or wrong, and a neck wood is never going to sway your decision. But you should choose something that feels smooth and comfortable to play. There are a variety of shapes and profiles, and what you go for will depend on personal preference and playing style. For example, a modern C-shaped neck is always a safe choice as the majority of guitarists will feel comfortable using it, while a thin U-shape is great for faster players (think punk rock and metal).
The AC15C1X is a modern take on the venerable AC15, with improved reliability and built-in effects. Vox's familiar clean and overdriven tone is ever present, courtesy of its three 12AX7 preamp tubes and two EL84 power tubes that drive a 12" Celestion Alnico Blue speaker - a speaker that many Rock and Blues players prefer. The amp has a dedicated Top Boost input for those who want Vox' distinct jangly tone. Finally, it comes with tremolo and reverb effect to add space and texture to your guitar tone.

Even with the myriad finish options, this latest model looks very much like the original Strats from Fender's original production line. As a testament to how effective the original design is, most of the specs and even the hardware design are followed even to this day. Speaking of specs, the current iteration features the same double cutaway alder body and bolt-on maple neck with a scale length of 25.5", narrower nut-width of 1.685" and SSS (Three Single Coil) pickup configuration. Giving this guitar its authentic quack and chime are three V-Mode Strat Single-coils.

But I’d also like to share my interesting Goldilocks setup into the mix, I’ve had a Boss GT-8 for years and I love that thing for all the control it can give me at the front of stage. However, I’m only 18 and never had the kind of money to buy an amp I’d love to run 4 cables for (or in my case three, I run a Line6 wireless), so I use the virtual preamps and run it into the Effect return of my 6L6 loaded Kustom amp (never liked the preamp in it). This very fact made my gigs in high school extremely easy, as I could use virtually any tube amp with an FX loop as my backline, then adjust the global EQ accordingly to pull the best tone possible, or in one instance I had two amps at my disposal so I got the pleasure of switching up my Delay and Chorus type effects to their stereo modes. I also have a couple of pedals on my board to address a few tonal setbacks I found in the Boss, but that’s only suiting my personal taste. Enjoy my board…

I have 2 Kent guitars. One like a Strat and one 12 string hollow body. I know they were made in the 60s and were distributed by Kent Musical Products. Address:5 Union Square, New York. 10003. And they were a subsidiary of Buegeleisen & Jacobson, Inc. Any further info on these would be appreciated. Most sold in the price range of 100 dollars and up.
Note: as of November 2004, the serial number represents not necessarily the year the instrument was produced but rather the model year to which the instrument belongs. It has long been Ibanez's practice to begin production for the subsequent model year in November (or even late October), but the serial numbering change that was implemented in November 2004 acknowledged and formalized this practice.
In 2017, Slash was named Gibson Brands' first Global Brand Ambassador. And to celebrate, Slash has designed his first Signature Firebird for Epiphone! Slash's Limited Edition Firebird features the classic Firebird profile that has gone virtually unchanged since its debut in 1963 and is made with a AAA Flame Maple top and a 3-piece Mahogany body in a Translucent Black finish chosen by Slash.

Hi! In this instructable I will be showing you how to fix and/or upgrade guitar electronics. This is applicable to most electric guitars, but I will be using a Fender Stratocaster. It is easier than most people think, especially if you know how to solder. Before you start, find a wiring diagram for your guitar and purchase the parts that are needed.

No guitar recommendation list is ever complete without a Fender product in the mix. Squier is Fender’s more affordable instrument range, and this set is a great place to start. The affinity series Stratocaster is available in sunburst, classic black, or candy apple red. A 10 watt Fender amp and corresponding cable are also included alongside a strap, 3 picks, snap on the tuner, tremolo bar, replacement parts and tools, strings, gig bag, and an instructional DVD to help you get off on the right foot with your playing.

Introduced around the same time as the White Falcon, the Duo-Jet (6128) became another hit for Gretsch, especially after a young George Harrison played one with The Beatles in the early sixties. While finding an original Gretsch is very expensive, the brand still makes faithful reproductions of most of its historic models and are popular with guitarists with a penchant for vintage.

: I have a similar guitar to the one you bought. It was my grandmothers and I'm estimating it at over 30 years old. Very folk style. She told me she actually had the original strings from when she bought it! I believed her when i tuned the thing and the day after found that the 4th and 6th had snapped. From what i know, Decca just made guitars around that time, 60's to 70's. Mine says it has a steel reinforced neck and it is really heavy compared to others. its still in really good shape and I actually play it. I'm not planning on selling it but I know its well worth its age. It has a hand chissled Ser. # on the bridge.

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The downside of boosting the volume of an acoustic guitar this way is the fact that every microphone adds a color of its own to the end result, not to mention the preamplifier and any compression and equalization applied. In other words, not only do you have to position the microphone correctly, but you also need to be very careful when choosing which mic to use.
Peavy amps are especially well appreciated by the metal community, thanks to their good overall reliability and the high volume of sound some models produce. The 6505 Series is a favorite of metal guitarists due to its power and versatility. This is most often used as a head for double stacks of speakers, but it can also be purchased as a 2×12” and 1×12” combo for convenience.
Description: Body: Nato - Body Construction: Solid - Neck Attachment: Neck-through - Neck Wood: Maple - Neck Construction: 3 Piece - Fingerboard: Rosewood - Frets: 20 - Inlay: Dot - # of Strings: 6 - Scale Length: 25" (64cm) - Headstock: 3+3 - Bridge Construction: Rosewood - Cutaway: Single - Hardware: Chrome, 1x Volume Control, 1x Tone Control, Kluson Tuners - Pickups: Harmony - String Instrument Finish: Bronze, Black

Full hollow-body guitars have large, deep, fully hollow bodies and are often capable of being played at the same volume as an acoustic guitar, and therefore of being used unplugged at intimate gigs. The instrument originated during the jazz age of the 1920s and 1930s, and is still considered the classic jazz guitar, nicknamed the “jazzbox.” Like semi-hollow guitars, they often have f-shaped sound holes. Having humbucker pickups (sometimes just a neck pickup) and usually strung heavily, jazzboxes are noted for their warm, rich tone. A variation (popular in country and rockabilly) with single-coil pickups and sometimes a Bigsby tremolo has a distinctly more twangy, biting, tone than the classic jazzbox.